Sexual crimes reported to police at six-year high

According to new figures, a total of 3,720 sexual crimes were recorded, a 25 per cent increase on the previous year, with reported rapes up by over a third to 631.

Det Supt Fil Capaldi, head of Police Scotland’s sexual crime unit, told BBC News: “These are significant increases and we can draw a direct correlation between reporting and lockdown restrictions.

“Over the course of the pandemic, we saw an initial reduction in reporting which we anticipated might be the case as people were locked down at home. But reporting increased incrementally with the easing of restrictions.”

He added: “There are a number of other influencing factors at play, particularly the national conversation around violence against women and girls, and high-profile reporting of rape and serious sexual crime.

“These may have encouraged people to come forward and report what had happened to them.

“As social interaction increases, particularly with the night-time economy, pubs and bars, opening up again, we expect to see a further rise in contact offending.”